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The origins of Mug Root Beer trace back to San Francisco in 1940.
It was introduced as "Belfast Root Beer" by the Belfast Beverage Company.
Its parent company was founded in 1877, and had already established itself as a producer of sparkling water and ginger ale.
Mug Root Beer's 1950s slogan "You haven't tasted Root Beer like this in years!" captured the era's fixation with an idealized past.
The slogan struck directly at consumers' memories of childhood refreshments.
The slogan achieved two goals:
The marketing strategy mirrored the broader advertising landscape of 1950s America, where companies sold products by promising to restore cherished experiences from earlier decades.
Mug Root Beer entered the diet soda market in the late 1960s with Sugar Free Mug, following Diet Rite (1958) and Tab (1963).
These launches were strategic moves to appeal to consumers who were increasingly seeking low-calorie drinks throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
PepsiCo acquired Mug Root Beer in 1986, replacing its existing On-Tap Draft Style Root Beer.
The company then introduced a bulldog mascot named "Dog" clutching a foaming mug—giving Mug Root Beer a distinct visual anchor within PepsiCo's drink lineup and connecting with customers through its straightforward, playful design.
By 1986, Mug Root Beer's Bay Area operation had grown into one of Pepsi's largest bottling networks.
Three facilities produced 1,200 cases of Pepsi per minute, making it the second-largest private Pepsi bottler in the United States.
San Francisco birthed Mug Root Beer, but PepsiCo ended local production there in the early 1990s.
Beyond its signature root beer, the brand created Mug Cream Soda and Diet Mug Cream Soda, but these variants only saw limited distribution.
Today, while PepsiCo owns the brand, independent bottlers still produce Mug Root Beer through New Century Beverage Company.
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